We use cookies to ensure we give you the best experience on our website. You can find out about our cookies and how to disable cookies in our Privacy Policy. If you continue to use this website without disabling cookies, we will assume you are happy to receive them. Close.

Densification

More than half the planet's population lives in cities, and this figure is predicted to rise to more than 70% by the second half of the century. During the same period, human population will have increased by two billion.

British architectRichard Rogers, points out that in England, in 1800, just 10% of the population lived in towns and cities, now the figure is 90%, and our population is projected to increase to 62 million by 2035. He suggests it is short sighted to imagine we can sustain anything other than compact lifestyles. See Compact sustainable city for more information.

Policies that encourage densification generally also provide for the protection of communities and green and public spaces. Home to over 13 million people, Tokyo is often used as an example of positive densification with a small proportion of high riseconstruction; an answer to critics who believe that densification necessarily leads to an increase in the number of tower blocks. Advocates suggest the aim should be better organisation and finding ways to increase shared space.

High-density living can be extremely desirable, as the New Town in Edinburgh and Kensington in London demonstrate. Both have at least 250 dwellings per hectare, and yet are extremely expensive and highly sought after. In our most attractive villages and market towns it is the older houses clustered at higher densities in the centre that achieve the highest prices. Building at 50 homes to the hectare and above has created the attractive spaces we like best. At below 50 homes per hectare, it is hard to keep shops, buses, doctors, nurseries and schools within walking distance. The less dense our cities are, the further they sprawl, the worse the traffic problems are.

Traditional southern European towns and villages can have double, triple or even quadruple the density of a typical English town. Continental cities are also built at a much higher density.

Critics suggest that densification means reducing the private space of inhabitants and point to the fact that, whilst around 50% of the global population lives in cities, they account for more than 75% of the consumption of non-renewable resources, and create around three quarters of global pollution. They also point to the fact that since 1900 our cities have actually become less dense and more extensive.

In September 2016, Centre for London published a report suggesting that densification of large estates across in London could allow the construction of between 80,000 and 160,000 homes in the next 20 years.